An Ecuador Vacation for Families of All Ages

For an incredible family-friendly vacation, you may want to pack up the family and head to Ecuador. Ecuador is a relatively small country; about the size of Colorado, but don’t let its small size fool you. Ecuador offers a complete range of diversity; from rain forests to volcanoes to beautiful beaches on the blue Pacific to kayaking white water and snorkeling with sea lions – and much more.

Ecuador’s temperate climate high in the Andes makes the perfect starting point for your family’s adventure. International flights arrive in the beautiful capital city of Quito from numerous departure points in the USA and around the world. From there, you can reach some truly spectacular rural locations in the shadows of beautiful volcanic peaks within an hour or so from the airport. This is sure to get your holiday off to a fun and relaxing beginning, even if travelling with smaller children. You can arrange an itinerary to suit all your wants. If horseback riding is of interest, you may wish to include this in your itinerary. By the way, horseback riding is available for all levels of horsemanship. Feel free to visit and stay at a gorgeous family-run traditional working farm or hacienda with a whole host of other activities from colorful Indian markets, walks, cycling or just checking out what’s going on at the farm.

The enduring fascination of exotic creatures big and small does not fail to engage children of all ages. Regardless of whether you head to the cooler cloud forest with your little ones, which is only a short drive from Quito or whether you venture with your teenagers deeper into the Amazon basin rain forest to spend a few incredible and illuminating days with local tribes in the heart of their ancestral home. Family-friendly riverside jungle lodges can offer specially designed forest walks with professional guides as well as lots of fun activities from making animal models and pictures to learning the essential skills on how to become a forest naturalist, such as recognizing animal calls and spotting minute insects! You may choose to take a refreshing swim in waterfalls, go fishing for piranha, or get face-painting with natural dye, known as achiote!

After all this exploring, you might wish to visit the less developed villages and towns around Machalilla National Park. You may then want to kayak a bit along coast as you keep an eye out for dolphins. From there, you might want to take the family to the Panama hat weavers at Montecristi or try your hand at making jewelry and local handicrafts. From June to November, the humpback whales can be viewed from whale viewing boat tours off the coast in their migration just off-shore. You’re sure to enjoy some up-close viewing of these amazing creatures. Be sure to visit the ‘mini-Galapagos’ Islands at Isla de la Plata. The mini-Galapagos, as they are often referred to are a short distance off shore and (besides the Galapagos) is the only other place in the world where you can see waved albatross** and also blue-footed boobies, sea lions, and frigate birds. The Galapagos are some 600 miles off-shore in case you opt for the real thing. Young children will also enjoy the coast and can be easily reached via a nice highway journey from Guayaquil. Oh, and don’t forget to stop by the chocolate factory on your way. The coast can also be reached via a new highway from Quito or if you prefer, just a short scenic flight from Quito to Manta.